Diocese of Arequipa

Arequipa, the Diocese of, suffragan of the Archdiocese of Lima, Peru, was erected by Gregory XIII, April 15, 1577, at the request of Philip II, who had asked for three Peruvian dioceses under royal patronage. The population in 1901 was 35,000. It has a cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, a Jesuit college, a hospital, and several convents. Arequipa is the second city in Peru. It is near the volcanic peak of the Andes called Misti, and in 1868 suffered earthquake shocks which destroyed most of the buildings and killed 600 people. Arequipa was founded by Pizarro.